Androcles and the Lion
Who remembers Aesop’s fable, Androcles and the Lion? It is a story about kindness, gratitude, and reciprocity. Androcles, a Roman slave, escapes from his master to the forest and discovers a lion roaring in great pain because a thorn was stuck in his paw. With great courage, Androcles removes it. The grateful lion and Androcles become friends and live together until both are captured. Androcles is thrown to the lion as punishment in a public spectacle and to the master’s great surprise, instead of eating Androcles, the lion licks his hand.
In the busyness of our full lives today, it is rare that we have the chance to reciprocate a good deed like the lion did for Androcles. This fable focuses on equalizing good deeds to the same individual who acted in kindness first.
American self-help author Melody Beattie talks about the fullness of our lives a bit differently, challenging us to turn what we have into enough, and be grateful for it. She talks about turning a meal into a feast, a stranger into a friend, and creating a vision for tomorrow. In other words, pay it forward.
Melody describes the kind of gratitude which enables me to see my place in the world, to count my blessings, and ultimately to respond by helping and supporting others. Reciprocity is good, but what about the idea of bringing abundance to those who need it more?
There are all kinds of ways to pay it forward, including organized volunteering, donating money, etc. But maybe the most meaningful—and simplest—way to pay it forward is to seize opportunities right in front of us, perhaps ones we overlook every day.
Begin by asking yourself:
- Who needs me to show up and be present for them?
- How can I help others realize their full potential and mature personally or professionally?
- Are there people who I can bring along by sharing my stories of skinned knees and successes, and then supporting them through theirs?
Gratitude, according to Beattie, turns failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.
In our full lives, perhaps gratitude—much like the lion showed Androcles—can lead each of us to see those who would most benefit from our care . . . and then continue to pay it forward.
Perhaps all would then realize: it is the one who gives, who is the most fortunate recipient.
